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Connecticut Police Officers Depart For ‘Police Unity Tour’

HARTFORD, Conn. (CBS Connecticut) – Police officers from around Connecticut, including ten current and former members of the Hartford police force, are among the roughly 2,200 officers from around the world taking part in the annual Police Unity Tour to honor fallen police officers.

There was a sendoff ceremony Monday morning at the Hartford Public Safety Complex. Riders are gathering in Somerset, New Jersey to start their four-day trek Tuesday to Washington, DC where a candlelight vigil is planned for Friday evening.

Over the years, Hartford has lost seven officers in the line of duty. Among them was Officer Francis Fenton, who was shot and killed on March 28, 1969.

“He was a cop’s cop,” said Fenton’s son, John, who was just 11 years old when his father was slain. Fenton says the Hartford Police Department has never forgotten its fallen officers, but he wishes that more people would take a moment to remember police officers who have paid the ultimate price to help keep their community safe.

Each officer raised least $1,850 to participate in the Police Unity Tour.